Garden Photo of the Day

A Photographer’s Eye in the Garden

Focusing on garden details

By GPOD Contributor

Today we’re visiting with Maureen Budny in North Reading, Massachusetts.

I am an amateur photographer, and it’s really only been about a year now that I have taken up the hobby. I find it to be really peaceful and exciting because I just go about my day (mother to four kids: three in high school and one in college) taking pictures, and at the end of the day I sort through them to see what gems I have captured. Ninety percent of my photos come from my own yard. I have a dog who enjoys her outdoor time, so while I’m out walking her around the yard I just snap some shots.

As for gardening, I have always had a love for flowers. My mother always had planters and gardens, and I guess it just carried over to me. My husband has a hand in all the planting. We both love it, although he does most of the work.

praying mantisA praying mantis out on the hunt.

ornamental cabbageAn ornamental cabbage (Brassica oleracea, cool season annual) beginning to blush purple

Blue hydrangeaBlue hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 6–9) flowers. The large outer flowers are sterile and serve to attract pollinators to the smaller, fertile, inner flowers.

bumble beeA bumblebee stops for some nectar and pollen.

SunflowersSunflowers (Helianthus annuus, annual). This North American native plant is always a great plant for wildlife, as the flowers feed a wide range of pollinators and birds adore the seeds.

water lilyMaureen’s favorite sort of garden, a water garden, with a hardy water lily (Nymphaea, Zones 6–9)

Hardy hibiscusHardy hibiscus (Hibiscus hybrid, Zones 5–9) in full bloom, with flowers the size of a hand

pink and white liliesLilies (Lilium hybrid, Asiatic group, Zones 4–9) blooming in Maureen’s garden

butterfly bushA honeybee visits the flowers of a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii, Zones 5–9).

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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Comments

  1. pam_clemmons 10/02/2020

    Absolutely stunning photos Maureen! Such beauty in browsIng each one. Good job as an apprentice!

    1. mojersey 10/02/2020

      Thank you, so glad you enjoyed the photos’

  2. Carolyn3134 10/02/2020

    All are wonderful! I especially enjoyed the praying mantis!

    1. mojersey 10/02/2020

      Thank you!! That praying mantas hung around for several days and actually laid eggs which I managed to get a video of. Babies will hatch in the spring.

  3. coastalgardener 10/02/2020

    We seem to share three things in common, Maureen...we both live in Massachusetts, love gardening and enjoy photography as a hobby. Your photos are wonderful and you do have an "eye" for it. That close-up of the praying mantis is wonderful!

    1. mojersey 10/02/2020

      Thank you so much!!

  4. User avater
    meander_michaele 10/02/2020

    I am a sucker for a great praying mantis picture and yours is right up there. I need to do a little research on why some are brown and some are green? Does it have to do with gender? a specific camouflaging ability? different kinds of praying mantis are one color vs another? Anyway, I really enjoyed all your photos.

    1. mojersey 10/02/2020

      Thank you!! That praying mantas hung around for several days and actually laid eggs which I managed to get a video of. Babies will hatch in the spring.

  5. User avater
    treasuresmom 10/02/2020

    Great pics!

    1. mojersey 10/02/2020

      Thank you!!

    2. mojersey 10/04/2020

      Thank you!

  6. alicefleurkens 10/02/2020

    Such Nice pictures, especially the praying mantis

    1. mojersey 10/02/2020

      Thank you!! That praying mantas hung around for several days and actually laid eggs which I managed to get a video of. Babies will hatch in the spring.

  7. btucker9675 10/02/2020

    When you see praying mantises, especially in great photos like yours, you believe in aliens! : ) Thank you for the beautiful pictures of your flowers and bees.

    1. mojersey 10/02/2020

      Hahaha, they do have that look about them.

  8. User avater
    simplesue 10/02/2020

    Oh wow! That Praying Mantis photo is very impressive!!!
    Just a reminder that if they are near a hummingbird feeder or on flowers a hummingbird feeds from they can kill the bird.
    I just learned about that this summer when I was taking some very pathetic and blurry photos LOL! of a praying mantis in my yard when I googled them!
    Love love love your photography and garden plants!

    1. mojersey 10/02/2020

      Thank you so much. I did learn that praying mantises and hummingbirds are not a good mix. We do have them too.

  9. bsavage 10/02/2020

    Beautiful, both garden and photographs!

    1. mojersey 10/04/2020

      Thank you!!

  10. sylvial 10/03/2020

    I love your photos! I'm also a gardener and an amateur photographer. I enjoy doing close-ups like yours. I once did a similar photo of a monarch caterpillar, where you can see his cute little face looking right into the camera. So much fun!

    1. mojersey 10/04/2020

      It is a fun hobby!

  11. User avater
    bdowen 10/03/2020

    Such beautiful photos, especially now as our MA gardens are beginning to fade a bit. Looking forward to more of your photos!

    1. mojersey 10/04/2020

      Thank you! Luckily, MA has a lot of photo opportunities all year long.

  12. arboretum 10/03/2020

    WOW! That praying mantis is sooo cool!
    th you!

    1. mojersey 10/04/2020

      Thank you!

  13. arboretum 10/03/2020

    I actually think you should enter it in the Amateur category of
    the National Geographic annual photo competition and the Globe annual photo competion. Seriously.

    1. mojersey 10/04/2020

      Thank you for the compliment. I will definitely look into those suggestions. Thanks for sharing the info.

  14. Maggieat11 10/03/2020

    I too, loved your photos, especially of the praying mantis. I hope you are able to photograph the offspring in the spring and post photos again. Thank you so much!

    1. mojersey 10/04/2020

      I hope so too. I tied a ribbon around the branch to help mark it and remind me in the spring.

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